Metadata suggests that the full ‘raw’ surveillance video from Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell was likely edited using professional editing software, raising questions about the integrity of the footage.
The video was originally published last Monday by Attorney General Merrick Garland and released in two versions: an enhanced iteration and a ‘raw’ version of the footage from Epstein’s cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. According to the FBI, the footage shows no one entering the tier where Epstein was housed from about 8 p.m. on August 9 until 6:30 a.m. the next day, when he was found dead.
However, the online outlet WIRED and independent forensic experts claim otherwise. Metadata embedded in the video files indicates that the ‘raw footage’ was exported and likely stitched together from at least two separate MP4 clips using the popular editing software Adobe Premiere Pro. The metadata also shows that the file was saved multiple times by a Windows user account named “MJCOLE~1.”
Jeffrey Epstein’s prison video was likely edited says WIRED
One forensic expert consulted by WIRED said, “It looks suspicious, but not as suspicious as the DOJ refusing to answer basic questions about it.”
Hany Farid, another forensic expert from UC Berkeley, told WIRED that the presence of Adobe project references and repeated save events undermines provenance and the chain of custody—a key requirement for evidence to be accepted in court. “If a lawyer brought me this file and asked if it was suitable for court, I’d say no. Go back to the source. Do it right,” Farid said.
So far, the U.S. Justice Department has offered little to no explanation regarding the alleged modification of the footage. The DOJ has stated that the video is a direct export from surveillance cameras overlooking the prison’s common area. Officials did not respond to specific questions about why the footage’s metadata is traceable to a video editing program. The Bureau of Prisons also declined to comment when contacted by U.S. sources.
Metadata analysis shows that footage was likely stitched together
Metadata analysis—reviewing both Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) and Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) data—revealed that the file was composed of two different source clips. One of the clips was titled “2025-05-22 21-12-48.mp4,” while the other was labeled “2025-05-22 16-35-21.mp4.”
According to experts, this suggests that the footage from Jeffrey Epstein‘s prison cell was a composite rather than a continuous, unaltered export. However, experts also noted that this could be the result of standard conversion procedures when transferring surveillance footage to MP4 format. Still, the Department of Justice has not provided a clear explanation.
Critics warn that any unexplained handling of the footage risks fueling conspiracy theories in a case already shrouded in suspicion. “Every piece of evidence that points to him taking his own life is turned into evidence that he was killed by powerful figures,” said Mike Rothschild, an author who studies extremist and conspiracy movements.
Epstein, a financier facing federal sex-trafficking charges, was found dead in his cell on August 10, 2019. A report from the Office of the Inspector General found no evidence of foul play but documented chronic staffing shortages and camera malfunctions at the facility, which was briefly closed in 2021. The surveillance system had suffered a technical failure the night before Epstein’s death, and MCC staff discovered the malfunction too late to repair it.